Essay on Katherine Mansfields Miss Brill Katherine Mansfields Miss Brill Essay Miss Brill Description Miss Brill Analysis Essay Miss Brill Character Analysis: Miss Brill Miss Brill Commentary

1. Essay on Katherine Mansfield's Miss Brill
As humans, much of our lives are based around social interaction. We are taught to live through
various means of socialization from the time of our birth . Without this socialization and
interaction among each other we can become very disillusioned and confused about how to
function as a part of society. One would tend to isolate ourselves, exiled in this place we call the
world. In Katherine Mansfield's short story "Miss Brill," one such person, herself a kind of outcast
of society, creates a fantasy world in which she is at the center. "Miss Brill" is the story of a woman
battling with loneliness. She partakes in a ritual in which every Sunday she would spend the entire
afternoon at the local park eavesdropping and observing the people...show more content...
In an attempt to make her life seem more important and extravagant than it really is, one can
understand furthermore Brill's pathetic nature. This defines Brill's character as one of an idealist,
making everyone and everything seem alive and interesting. She seems to be loosing a sense of
reality and her idea what is important is somewhat warped.
Miss Brill intricately observes every little detail of the happenings around her illustrating the
extent to which she has lost a grasp on reality. She makes note of everything from attire and
attitudes, to body language and actions. Brill takes a kind of pride in her ability to eavesdrop.
"They were odd, silent, nearly all old, and from the way they stared they looked as though they'd
just come from dark little rooms or even – little cupboards!" (Mansfield 99). Miss Brill excludes
herself from the rest of the people. Even when elderly people come into view, she quickly
distances herself from them as though different when in fact she too is old and resides in a
cupboard of her own. Brill associates and relates herself to only the younger and more attractive
people. The people which society deems the most acceptable. "Now everything, her hair, her face,
even her eyes , was the same color as the shabby ermine, and her hand, in its cleaned glove, lifted to
dab her lips, was a tiny yellowish paw. Oh, she was so pleased to see him– delighted!" (Mansfield
98) Miss Brill describes her and her
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2. Katherine Mansfield's Miss Brill Essay
There will be many obstacles in life that are too hard for the average human to deal with, but it is
how well the obstacles are dealt with that will make a difference. If the obstacles are handled
properly, it could have positive effects; however, if they are handled poorly, it could diminish
happiness. Katherine Mansfield's short story, "Miss Brill," uses symbol, plot, character, and point of
view, to reveal the theme that creating an alternate reality through the lives of other people will not
relieve loneliness. Miss Brill's fur, the symbol in the short story, is contextual. The fur is a...show
more content...
This is important because Miss Brill is neglecting reality through her fur, pretending that the fur
is feeling emotion, to keep from feeling loneliness. The structure of the story follows that of a
traditional plot diagram. A traditional plot diagram helps to emphasize how Miss Brill's
everyday activities have become a tradition; her Sunday ritual helps her cope with loneliness.
Patrick Morrow agrees that, "the main character exists in a timeless world made of routines and
fantasy" (82). The narrator points out that Miss Brill has a special seat, and she even notices that
the conductor is wearing a new jacket. While the band plays, Miss Brill goes to the park often
enough to know when things are different in her surroundings. Miss Brill comes to the park so
much she believes that if she were not there the others would notice she was not present. Her
every Sunday outings provide an opportunity for Miss Brill to place herself in the company of
others and to get out of "the little dark room" in which she lives. One of Miss Brill's observations
about the "odd, silent nearly all old people, and from the way they looked as though they'd just
come from dark little rooms or evenВ—even cupboards!" whom she sees every Sunday at the park
hints to the reader that she
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3. Miss Brill Description
Miss Brill is a solitary woman who spends her Sunday in a park, relating in vivid details the
happenings around her. She is dressed in a fox fur, though the weather does not call for it, as she
believes it to be representative of her high status. She admires the music around her, thinking it to
be reflective of her experiences. An old couple is seated on her bench, and she is dissatisfied that
they are not talking since she enjoys eavesdropping on their conversation. Her attention switches to
others in the park, the children, a beggar, all who she describes as looking strange. She notices a
young girl trying desperately to gain a man's attention but fails. Though the girl seems happy and
quickly moves on, Miss Brill instead concentrates on
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4. Miss Brill Analysis Essay
Mansfield presents us with Miss Brill, a woman initially content, in a short story of the same name
through characterization and selection of detail; a moment of illumination is encapsulated within
an overheard conversation, forever changing her. Miss Brill is depicted as an older woman, who
seldom talks to anyone and cherishes her vintage fur. In the beginning of the story, the author
displays the happiness the wrap brings her. Although it is described as being quite "dim", Miss Brill
doesn't mind and eagerly wears it on her way to the park. Her weekly "slice of honey–cake at the
baker's" allows readers to comprehend the little luxuries Miss Brill takes pride in. The fur necklet
and slice of cake function as characterization devices; we...show more content...
In the crushing blow Miss Brill receives as a result of the "hero and heroine['s]" shameless
commentary, the things that make her happy are reduced to rubble. The young couple's perception
of her is offensively unfiltered: "Because of that stupid old thing over there?... Why does she come
here at all–who wants her? Why doesn't she keep her silly old mug at home?". This is the moment
of illumination in which Miss Brill is catapulted out of her pitiful fantasy into unforgiving reality.
Miss Brill is forced to confront the truth: she is growing old and lonely and the world is becoming a
cruel place for such people. She takes a detour from her usual trip to the bakery back to her "dark
little room...like a cupboard" and puts away her necklet, as she "–heard something crying." Her only
escape from her lonely existence has shattered as she is confined to the isolation in her
cupboard–like home. She no longer takes pride in her necklet nor feels the desire to treat herself to
a slice of honeycake. Mansfield further elucidates the impact of the couples' remarks by ending the
story with the heart wrenching tears of Miss Brill. Mansfield's characterization and selection of
detail reach the heart of the matter in "Miss Brill", showing the smallest of acts can revert
confidence into a downward
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5. Miss Brill
THEME of "Miss Brill" In the story "Miss Brill," an old, lonely lady spends her Sunday observing
people in a park. Although ignored by everyone around her, Miss Brill manages to convince
herself that she is really an integral part of the scene and would be missed if she weren't there.
Her illusion is shattered by a chance remark at the end of the story, and she returns home, clearly
devastated by her new understanding of her place in life. What this story is trying to illustrate is
that sometimes people can be happy through living in an illusion. However, this kind of happiness
is fragile and can be easily destroyed. Unfortunately, modern society does not provide a place for
everyone. Inevitably, there are those people, often...show more content...
"No doubt somebody would have noticed if she hadn't been there; she was part of the
performance after allВ… Miss Brill nearly laughed out loud" (100). This realization eventually
moves Miss Brill to tears. Being a part of something as full of life as the park scene gives her a
sense of belonging. However, by this point in the story, the reader is aware that Miss Brill has
deluded herself. Actually, no one at the park is even aware she's around, and the truth is that if
she weren't there, no one would miss her at all. Happiness built on an illusion can only last so
long. In the story, Miss Brill's happiness is shattered by a single chance remark when the young
couple who she has cast as the hero and herione in her "play" casually insult her. "'Why does she
come here at all––who wants her? Why doesn't she keep her silly old mug at home?" (138). The
story does not tell us Miss Brill's personal reactions to this remark; instead, the point of view shifts
so that we observe her actions as she goes home. However, these actions are enough to illustrate that
her self–view has been destroyed. The first example of her change in perspective is when she fails
to go into the bakery, the usual climax to the Sunday park visit. "But today she passed the baker's
by, climbed the stairs, went into the little dark room––her room like a cupboard––and sat down on
the red
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6. Character Analysis: Miss Brill
Assignment 4 1. In "Battle Royal," why do his grandfather's last words cause so much anxiety in
the family? What does his grandfather mean when he says,"I want you to overcome 'em with
yeses, undermine 'em with grins, agree 'em to death." (Pg. 2)? The last words of narrator's
grandfather cause so much "anxiety" because it showed how different his grandfather was
thinking. He used to show that his docility and his calm life. The narrator's grandfather was
considered exemplary black person by many whites. He was hardworking and accepting of his
subordinate citizenship. When narrator's grandfather told him "I want you to overcome 'em with
yeses, undermine 'em with grins, agree 'em to death"(Pg. 2), he was trying to explain to him that
he should follow the white people's way of life to be able to get ahead. 2. Discuss "Battle Royal" as
an initiation story. Self–discovery is a theme that all initiation stories have. In the opening of
initiation stories, the innocent protagonists think they are better than what they actually are, and also
they believe that the world is safe, which is not always true. There are many...show more content...
She is an elderly woman, but she is not a "normal" old woman. "The old people sat on the bench,
still as statues. Never mind, there was always the crowd to watch." This quote shows what Miss
Brill thinks about elderly people. By doing this, she is acting like a teenager, sort of immature.
She likes to be different from the other elderly people or people who act like old people. In the
same way, when she saw old people who were sitting on benches, she said that they were "nearly all
old, and from the way they stared they looked as though they'd just come from dark little rooms or
even – even cupboards!" In this way, she is putting herself away from that "old people". She
describes them in a negative tone and showing that she is much more than one typical frail old
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7. Miss Brill Commentary
"Miss Brill" by Katherine Mansfield illustrates the story of a woman who goes out out on a Sunday
afternoon and sees the world as a play, with everyone – and herself – acting out their roles. She
wears a fur which the author mentions throughout the story, and Miss Brill's realization of her
loneliness is only shown at the end of the story as she takes it off. Mansfield employs the techniques
of characterization, imagery, and motifs to express the theme of human alienation in society.
Mansfield uses the technique of characterization to express how the character Miss Brill is eccentric,
judgmental, and in denial of herself, that she isn't what she thinks she is. Miss Brill is characterized
as jubilant, as she describes her fur as a "little...show more content...
Once they insult her fur, Miss Brill doesn't express her feelings of alienation from society, but the
description of her room added to her crying exhibits a significant change in mood from the beginning
of the short story, when she was excited to spend her afternoon on the bench.
Miss Brill's fur is a motif throughout the story, making significance as it is what Miss Brill puts
on as her mask to go out and try to fit in. At the beginning, Miss Brill "had taken it out of its box
that afternoon, shaken out the moth powder, given it a good brush, and rubbed the life back into
the dim little eyes." Mansfield illustrates Miss Brill's peppiness, and she is as happy to wear her
own fur as she is to go out on her Sunday afternoons to take part in the play and act like she has a
place in society; even though others don't see her the same way she sees herself. She had
previously described her fur as luxurious, admiring it, though the young girl she was admiring says
""It's her fu–ur which is so funny," ... "It's exactly like a fried whiting."". Miss Brill thinks she's a
part of the play and has confidence when she wears the fur, but other characters don't see the same
way she does. Mansfield shows the reader that what Miss Brill thinks is not necessarily true, as the
story is told in third person limited. Miss Brill's mask that she puts on is her fur, and when she goes
home, she turns back into the person she really is. Mansfield
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